大堡礁(GBR)预计将在2021-2022年南半球夏季经历第六次大规模珊瑚白化事件。在卫星记录(1985年至今)中,预计GBR上的珊瑚漂白水平的热应力将比上一年更早开始。美国国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)珊瑚礁观察(CRW)近实时基于卫星的热应激产品被用于调查2021年末早期夏季海面温度(SST)和GBR的热应激条件。截至2021年12月14日,GBR上12周运行窗口(度加热周)中的瞬时热应力(珊瑚漂白热点)和累积热应力的值在卫星记录中是前所未有的。Further,2021年这一天89%的GBR卫星礁像素具有大于0.2摄氏度/周的积极7天SST趋势。背景温度(过去29天的最低温度)高得惊人,2021年12月14日87%的GBR珊瑚礁像素大于1985-2020年任何一年相同29天期间的最大SST。GBR将在2021-2022年夏季开始,积累的热量比以往任何时候都多,这可能会给健康带来灾难性的后果,recovery,以及这个关键珊瑚礁系统的未来。
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is predicted to undergo its sixth mass coral bleaching event during the Southern Hemisphere summer of 2021-2022. Coral bleaching-level heat stress over the GBR is forecast to start earlier than any previous year in the satellite record (1985-present). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) near real-time satellite-based heat stress products were used to investigate early-summer sea surface temperature (SST) and heat stress conditions on the GBR during late 2021. As of 14 December 2021, values of instantaneous heat stress (Coral Bleaching HotSpots) and accumulated heat stress over a 12-week running window (Degree Heating Weeks) on the GBR were unprecedented in the satellite record. Further, 89% of GBR satellite reef pixels for this date in 2021 had a positive seven-day SST trend of greater than 0.2 degrees Celsius/week. Background temperatures (the minimum temperature over the previous 29 days) were alarmingly high, with 87% of GBR reef pixels on 14 December 2021 being greater than the maximum SST over that same 29-day period for any year from 1985-2020. The GBR is starting the 2021-2022 summer season with more accumulated heat than ever before, which could have disastrous consequences for the health, recovery, and future of this critical reef system.